LASER Pain Relief & Healing with No Side Effects
Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) or NSAIDs ?
Low Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) can stimulate tissue repair, reduce inflammation or have an analgesic effect. Laser Therapy is the application of red and near infra-red light over injuries or lesions to improve wound / soft tissue healing and give relief for both acute and chronic pain. First developed in 1967, it is now commonly referred to as LLLT.
LLLT is used to:
increase the speed, quality and tensile strength of tissue repair
give pain relief
resolve inflammation
improve function of damaged neurological tissue
and often used as an alternative to needles for acupuncture.
NSAIDs slow healing and often have side effects whereas LLLT actually improves healing, as well as reducing inflammation and pain. Use THOR before you use NSAIDs
Clinical Applications
Acute or chronic tendinopathies
Sprains and strains
Neck and back pain
Osteoarthritis
Post-operative pain
Tissue healing
NSAIDs ADVERSE EFFECTS
“If deaths from gastrointestinal toxic effects from NSAIDs were tabulated separately in the National Vital Statistics reports, these effects would constitute the 15th most common cause of death in the United States”
– Wolfe et al, New England Journal of Medicine 1999
Selective cyclo-oxygenase-2 inhibitors have been shown to be detrimental to tissue-level repair. They have been shown to impair mechanical strength return following acute injury to bone, ligament and tendon. This may have clinical implications for future injury susceptibility. However, it should be noted that the current animal studies have limited translation to the clinical setting. Adverse effects related to the CNS and gastrointestinal adverse reactions are commonly reported in connection with NSAID use also in elite athletes. In addition to the potential for adverse effects, recent studies have shown that NSAID use may negatively regulate muscle growth by inhibiting protein synthesis
– Alaranta et al, Sports Med, 2008
Another interesting revelation is the adverse effects of NSAIDs, laboratory research shows that use of steroids and Non Steroidal Anti-Inflammatories (NSAIDs) reduce tendon to bone healing, doubles the risk of sudden heart failure and causes erectile dysfunction.
Laser on the other hand improves healing and achieves better pain relief in clinical trials. With over 100 randomised double blind placebo controlled clinical trials (RCTs) published in peer reviewed scientific journals LLLT has one of the strongest evidence base in rehabilitation medicine and should be used as the first therapeutic intervention after injury and instead of NSAIDs.